Peter Anthony Blush--Vietnam Vet and Author

Today, I'm pleased to introduce you to Peter Anthony Blush.

He is a freelance writer and forager living in Stratford and has written articles for the Stratford Beacon Herald, The National Catholic New Service and the Hullet Wildlife Conservation Area. During the Viet Nam War, he was a reporter for the US Army newspaper, Stars and Stripes.

Since arriving in Stratford six years ago, his passion for foraging has increased through the adventure of discovery and the understanding of the nutritional values of the wild edibles growing throughout southwestern Ontario. He was featured in a recent TV episode on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s “Fearless in the Kitchen.”

Now, his mystery novel, “Boreal Dreams,” has become the central focus of his life. After fifteen years of rewrites, rejections, and editing, "Boreal Dreams" was finally published in April 2012 where it is garnering a respectable amount of attention as well as several positive reviews.

I was lucky enough to interview him. Here is what he has to say:

 

QueenWriter News (QW): Tell us a little about your latest published work.

Peter Anthony Blush (PAB):On the surface, "Boreal Dreams" is the story of corporate greed and political corruption that lead to murder and mayhem in a small Vermont town while an epic winter blizzard forms to wreak even more havoc on its population. Universal Foods, a major bio-tech firm, has discovered that it has sent a genetically altered shipment of corn to a third world country which could have catastrophic effects on humans. Rather than recall the shipment and face massive fines, the firm decides to cover up the scandal at all costs.

 As storm clouds amass, County Sheriff Ray Lackner must deal with a tragic snowmobile accident. After the initial investigation however, the word “accident” no longer applies. It was murder. The following days are full of chaos, affecting the lives of his constituents as well as those of the nearby Mohawk Reservation.

As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to a wide range of characters, with roles both major and minor. In "Boreal Dreams," every one of those characters has a story to tell. These are stories within a story, a patchwork of humankind, that reflect the diversity of communities found everywhere.

QW: What do you for marketing and what works the best for you? 

PAB: I’ve found that networking through the internet with such sources at Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads, introduces me to others like myself who are more than willing to share their knowledge and lend a helping hand to open doors. Also, I’ve been fortunate to have friends with ties to the entertainment business such as radio hosts, TV producers and actors, all of whom have a rich interest in the arts and promoting them. I really believe that if you have a good enough product, if your book is well written, professionally edited and you deliver an entertaining and plausible story that you will see a measure of success on the horizon.  

QW: Tell the readers something about you that we can't find on your blog or website.

PAB: Well, "Boreal Dreams" has been a 15 year project with countless months of rewrites, editing, rejections, rejections, and rejections. It was tough to take in the beginning, but as the process unfolded, I developed a certain hardness that kept me going through setbacks. About 10 years ago, "Boreal Dreams" was nominated for The Robinson Davies Prize, a prize specifically given to unpublished authors in Canada. Despite the fact my book took place in Vermont, it was short-listed and a semi-finalist. That won the attention of a literary agent in the U.S. who decided to take it on. Unfortunately, four months later my agent was being sought by U.S. authorities for trying to kill her mother with the family car. She fled to Canada where she made money setting up bogus writers' conferences. She was finally apprehended by the RCMP, placed in jail until she was extradited to the U.S. for attempted murder. Bye, bye agent. I mean, when you figure your agent has a life story that competes with your book, it’s time to move on . . . . not from writing, but to getting my book published no matter what. And I did.

Might I add one more thing? I found that in the course of writing this book, a few of my major characters had minds of their own. I would sit down and plan a scene, know full well how it would end, and my characters would step in and say, “No, that’s not me. This is what I want to do instead of what you had planned for me.” I found this absolutely fascinating.

QW: What's next on your writing list? Are you currently penning this or is this in the 'thinking' stage?

PAB: My next book will be a sequel to "Boreal Dreams." I loved my characters so much I hated to say goodbye and so I left a door open for a continuing story. Not so much the storyline but the lifeline of a certain few. "The Crossing" is currently being “penned”.

 

Besides, "Boreal Dreams," Peter has been busy with:

“It’s About Time”, a short story published by Garrison Keillor’s, A Prairie Home Companion, Stories from Home series. 2002

“Boreal Dreams”, available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle.

If you have any questions for Peter, you can comment here on my blog. Or contact him at:

 

Website: http://www.peteranthonyblush.com

96 Birmingham Street

Stratford, Ontario

N5A2S9

Telephone: 519-271-3726

Email: peterblush@sympatico.ca

It was a pleasure having Peter here and we thank him. 

If you are a published author and would like to be featured, all you have to do is email me at sreina@queenwriter.com and put in the subject line: "interview me." Alternately, if you are interested in guest blogging, email me and put in the subject line: "blog me."

Until next time...